Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
“You have a good day today, okay, honey?” Cooper crouched down and looked his baby daughter Macey in the eyes. They were on the sidewalk outside of her daycare, early in the morning. “I’ll be back really soon. You have fun with your friends, okay?”
“Okay, Daddy.”
Macey still didn’t know many words, and she spoke with the adorably sloppy diction of a toddler. “Okay, Daddy” was the phrase she said the most, and his heart still warmed every time he heard it.
He stood up, and Macey took the hand of the smiling daycare worker who was waiting to lead her inside the building.
“She’s been doing really well,” the young woman said, looking down at Macey with kind eyes. “She’s got lots of friends to play with here.”
“Glad to hear it.” Cooper smiled as he watched Macey and the daycare worker walk into the building together. Macey was babbling incoherently about something, although he thought he heard the words “chocolate milk.”
He sighed as he turned around and headed back toward his truck. He hated dropping her off at daycare, but he was on a job that day that required him to leave the office for a while, and keeping her with him would have been impossible. Although he knew that dropping her off at daycare was necessary, he still struggled with feeling uncomfortable about it. He knew that sometimes she felt scared at the daycare and she missed him, and he wished that he could somehow be handling his single father situation better than he was. Sometimes he told himself he should get an entirely different job, one that would allow him to stay with Macey during the day, or perhaps he should get a job that paid better so he could afford a nanny?—
He shook himself. He’d gone over these arguments with himself too many times already. Macey was doing well in daycare, and it was a great place where she could spend time with other kids her own age. He needed to stop doubting himself and focus on the workday ahead of him. Work was how he supported himself and Macey, and work was what he needed to do at the moment.
He was on his way to meet with a man named Judd McCormick, to discuss a landscaping job for a patch of land in Rosewood Beach. He typed the address that Judd had sent him into his GPS and made his way there.
This looks familiar, he thought as he approached the spot, and then he frowned in confusion.
He parked alongside the curb and then double-checked the address. He felt sure he must have come to the wrong spot, somehow. He was right where he had caught the beautiful woman wearing the high heels. In front of him was a cheerful-looking restaurant with a sign next to the front door that read, “The Lighthouse Grill.”
He got out of his car, guessing that there must have been some mistake. This wasn’t a spot for landscaping—the only greenery he could see belonged to the patches of grass placed along the sidewalk, and those belonged to the town.
“You must be Cooper Harris.”
Cooper turned around and saw a stocky man striding toward him along the sidewalk. The man reached his hand out the moment he reached Cooper’s side and offered him a handshake that was so firm it was almost uncomfortable.
“Judd McCormick,” the man said. “Nice to meet you.”
“You as well.” Cooper smiled in a friendly manner, although he had to admit to himself that there was something about Judd that was off-putting. He was middle-aged and handsome, wearing a sleek business suit with a pair of sunglasses tucked into the front pocket. He gave off an energy like a bulldozer, strong and forceful, and Cooper got the impression that he was the kind of businessman who never let anything stand in his way. He guessed that Judd McCormick was both ambitious and ruthless, and the smile on his face looked as insincere as a smile painted on a cartoon advertisement.
“So, what do you think of the place?” Judd asked, turning to The Lighthouse Grill with a satisfied expression. “Nice spot, isn’t it? Central to the town, as you can see. Obviously, there’s not much room for landscaping now, but we plan to add all kinds of fancy additions when we have the land.”
Cooper cleared his throat. “Have they already sold it to you? I don’t see a ‘for sale’ sign anywhere.”
“They haven’t sold it to me yet, but they will.” Judd’s painted-on smile widened. “I want this spot. My family has been cultivating McCormick’s Brewery for many years. Two of my sons, Seth and Brady, work closely with me in the family business, and we’ve made quite a name for ourselves, producing beer to be bought in bulk. We’re at the point where it’s time for us to have a walk-in location, and that’s where this new project comes in.”
“Okay.” Cooper didn’t know what else to say. The wheels of his mind were turning, but he still didn’t know what to make of Judd or the whole situation.
“I wanted to meet with you here today so you could get a look at the spot.” Judd smiled. “Obviously, this whole porch for outdoor seating would be gone, which frees up a lot of space. There’s also a green area in the back of the restaurant which you can’t see from the street. It overlooks the water. It’s a great spot. What would you recommend in the way of landscaping? You know, in order to turn the place into an attractive and functional location?”
“Assuming the purchase of land happens?”
“Oh, it will. What kind of an estimate can you give me on that?”
Cooper nodded hesitantly, still unsure as to why Judd took it for granted that the sale of land was going to happen. “Well, I can give you an idea of the estimate for the landscaping, but as far as the purchase of the land goes, that’s out of my scope.”
“I’m sure everything will be squared away easily as far as that goes.” Judd’s smile was complacent. “Just give me an estimate on the landscaping. We want some gardens, some bushes, good turf, that kind of thing.” For a few minutes, he described in detail what he wanted in regard to the landscaping.
Cooper nodded as Judd went on and on. He took notes as he listened to Judd’s plans, marking down all of the things Judd wanted, along with the quantities or approximate square footage. Once Judd had finished describing his goals for the place, Cooper used his list to quickly jot down an itemized estimate.
“That looks fine.” Judd looked over the estimate, smiling. “Sounds like we have a deal here, Mr. Harris.” He clapped Cooper’s hand into another solid handshake, and Cooper nodded.
“Pleasure doing business with you, sir,” he said, although he wasn’t sure he meant it.
He and Judd talked for a few moments longer—Judd doing most of the talking—and then the men parted ways. Cooper got back inside his car, unable to shake the feeling that something was off about the whole thing.
Just before he turned his key in the ignition, he looked up at the sidewalk and lifted his eyebrows. It was her. The woman who he’d caught the other day in the rain, who’d wobbled as she was getting out of the taxi. The woman who had cost him his coffee, and then had stayed in his thoughts for the rest of the day.
She was walking toward the pub, just like she had been after getting her suitcase out of the taxi the other day. He wondered if she worked there—although he’d never seen a waitress wearing heels like that before.
She must have something to do with that place, if she showed up there with the taxi the other day and she’s there again now , he thought, watching her step casually through the doorway with the familiar energy of a person who had done so a thousand times before. Maybe she changes into different shoes once she’s inside.
He grunted with interest, and then realized he should get going. He turned his key in the ignition, deciding that he needed to make a point of going to The Lighthouse Grill for lunch sometime.
Julia pushed open the door of The Lighthouse Grill and took a deep breath of the familiar smells. Now that it wasn’t her first time back inside since her father’s passing, she was able to enjoy the flood of memories that surrounded her more. The Lighthouse Grill had always felt like home to her, and she was already starting to feel at ease there again.
She made her way across the dining area to one of the booths, which was placed by a window overlooking the water. Her mother was already seated there, sipping a cup of coffee and looking tired. In the next moment she looked up and saw her daughter, and her face brightened with a smile.
“Hey, Mom.” Julia sat down and reached across the table to squeeze her mother’s hands. “Good morning.”
“Good morning, sweetheart. How did you sleep?”
“Oh, fine.”
The truth was that she’d slept terribly, since her mind had wanted to over-analyze and try to problem-solve all of the problems that she couldn’t actually solve all night. But she still felt fairly refreshed, and she had a feeling that being back in the clean air and the slower pace of life of Rosewood Beach had something to do with that.
“How did you sleep, Mom?”
“Oh, fine.”
Julia smiled affectionately at her mother, guessing that she was lying just as much as Julia had been. She squeezed her mother’s hand again.
“Thanks for arranging this. It’ll be good to see everyone.”
Vivian nodded. “It’s important for us all to stick together as a family.”
Julia smiled and then was quiet for a few moments. She felt a flutter of nervousness at the prospect of being reunited with her siblings. It had been so long since they’d really caught up, and she almost felt as though they were strangers to her now.
“We should get some menus on the table,” she said, noticing that there were only glasses of water and rolls of silverware placed on it. She felt restless and she wanted to do something productive.
Vivian shook her head. “I already ordered for you kids. I remember exactly how you all like your breakfast burritos.”
Julia smiled, touched by her mother’s care for each of them. She didn’t have the heart to mention to her mother that it was more than likely that some of their tastes had changed since they were last there together. Although she had to admit that she herself did still prefer her breakfast burritos the same way, with ham, hash browns, onions, red peppers, tomatoes, and plenty of cheese.
She poured herself a cup of coffee and added a splash of cream. She took a sip, savoring the taste. “Mm. Still the best coffee in town besides Ocean Breeze Café.”
“Oh, I could never compete with Sally. But we do make a good roast here.” Vivian smiled, looking pleased by her daughter’s compliment.
“Hey!”
Julia turned around, and a grin spread across her face as she saw her siblings walking toward them.
Dean, with his messy dark brown hair and dark blue eyes, was flashing his crooked grin at them. He’d been quite the heartthrob in high school, and his shoulders were even broader now than they’d been back then. Ironically, he was currently single despite how many girls had wanted him back in the day—and Julia suspected that he still had his fair share of admirers.
“Sis!” he cried, opening his arms for a hug from her.
Laughing, she stood up and gave him a hug. Behind him, Alexis and Hazel were smiling at her, almost shyly, and she hugged them warmly as well.
“Gosh, look at us,” Dean said, sliding into the booth with as much charm and energy as he’d had as a kid. “We all grew up into a pretty handsome pack of animals, didn’t we, Mom?”
Vivian shook her head, laughing. “Your father was so proud of all of you.”
Instantly everyone got quiet. Julia noticed Hazel blink back a few tears, and her own heart felt suddenly heavy. It wasn’t just that she was feeling the grief of her father’s passing, it was also that he’d never said those words to her himself. Frank had been a quiet, hardworking man who was sometimes hard to read. She’d known he loved her very much, but he had seldom put his feelings into words.
“Come on, let’s eat together.” Alexis smiled at them all, clearly trying to lift people’s spirits. “It’ll be just like old times.”
Hazel slid into the booth next to her twin, and Julia noticed that the old crackle of impish energy was still joining her and Dean. The two of them had always had a little bit of mischief up their sleeves, and some of their mutual pranks had been legendary.
“It’s been so long since I’ve had a real breakfast like this.” Dean leaned back in his seat, sighing with satisfaction. “I usually just devour a semi-frozen bagel on my way to the car shop.”
Dean owned the local mechanic shop, Main Street Auto. He’d gained a good reputation for being skilled, thorough, and fair in his prices.
“What? That’s terrible. You need to eat.” Hazel swatted her twin in the arm. “Come to our place for breakfast.”
“I get up at six a.m.”
“So do we, usually. Well, I do.”
“I can absolutely recommend Hazel’s breakfasts,” Alexis said, smiling. “They’re truly amazing.”
Hazel flushed at the compliment, and Julia’s heart warmed, seeing the camaraderie that was already returning between all of the siblings. They didn’t feel like strangers to her in the slightest, and she felt a pleasant rush of relief.
In another few minutes, their breakfast burritos arrived, along with sides of extra hash browns and sausages. They ate hungrily for a while, everyone commenting on how good the food was. After a while, Hazel said softly, “I think we should share memories of Dad.”
Alexis set down her coffee cup, looking almost wistful. “I agree. Who’s got a favorite story of Dad?”
“Tell you what, I’ve got something that can help spark people’s memories,” Dean said, setting his phone down on the table. He began to tap at the screen. “I’ve got all kinds of scanned photographs here in a digital folder. I’m working on making a slideshow video for the funeral. We can all look at the pictures together, and you can help me decide which ones to put in the slideshow.”
They all bent their heads down, looking at the pictures on Dean’s phone as he scrolled through them one by one.
“Oh, I love that one.” Alexis covered her mouth with her hand, laughing. “Do you remember that? There was that terrible thunderstorm, and none of us had any idea where Dad was. He finally came back, covered in mud, and all we could get out of him was, ‘I tripped.’”
“We thought it was the funniest thing.” Julia chuckled, remembering how silly their father had looked, covered from head to toe in mud. “We kept teasing him about being the gingerbread man.”
“Oh, and look at this one!” Hazel leaned in closer to the screen, grinning over a picture of their father holding a massive trout in his hands. “That was the day I got so sad about him killing that fish so we could all eat it that he let it go. I think I was five or something.”
“That sounds about right.” Vivian laughed a little, although tears were glistening in her eyes. “I remember him saying, ‘All we really need is the picture, as evidence.’”
The five of them continued to look through the old photographs, laughing and crying over them. They helped Dean choose which ones to use for the slideshow, and he scribbled down notes in a little notebook that Hazel lent him.
By the time everyone had finished eating, they’d reached the end of the pictures. Everyone was smiling a little, remembering their past with Frank fondly, except for Alexis. She looked pale and worn out, as if the grief had hit her harder than everyone else.
“What else needs to be done?” Julia asked. “I can help with more of the funeral arrangements, and I can help you sort through Dad’s things, Mom.”
She swallowed, knowing what a difficult task that would be for any of them, but especially for her mother.
“Oh, thank you for offering, sweetheart, but I know you’ll need to get back to your job soon.” Vivian smiled at her, her eyes still moist from crying over the pictures. “I know how busy it keeps you. I’m sure it’s been hard for you to get away at all.”
Julia’s heart twisted, but she decided not to share the truth with her mother just yet. “No, really, I’d like to help. What can I do?”
“Well, I do need some help sorting through the pub’s finances. Your father always took care of that, and I’ve never had a great head for numbers. I’m dreading it a little bit, if I’m being perfectly honest.”
Julia nodded without hesitation. She was great at math; it was something she’d always had a quick eye for and enjoyed doing. “Absolutely. You got it, Mom.”
Reluctantly, they all started to get up, piling their plates and silverware together. Hazel and Dean picked up the dishes and started bringing them toward the kitchen together. Since they’d all grown up around the pub, they were used to helping out with the bussing.
Julia noticed Alexis hanging back slightly, looking as though she was in danger of starting to cry again. Julia felt concern for her sister, seeing how emotional she was. She knew that their dad’s passing had hit them all hard, but Alexis seemed particularly fragile. She couldn’t help wondering if something else was wrong.